Improvement in rot art engines



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NJPTERS. FHOTGLIT-HOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, BAC.

N.PETER5. PMOTWLIYHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. n.6

ann-a saro sind @time .Letters Patent No. 98,619, dated Janna/ry 4', 1870..

IMPROVEMENT IN ROTARY ENGJNES.

To4 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK ORTLIEB, of Green Point, in the county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rotary Engines', of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being vhad to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of `this specication, and in which- Figure 1 represents a plan,rin part, of a rotary engine constructed in accordance with myinvention, the box to the main valve, and devices foradjusting the latter, being shown by long dotted lines.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of said engine.

Figure 3, a transverse section thereof, taken mainly as indicated by the line a: x in iig. 1, but showing the piston -in full.

Figure 4, a longitudinal section, mainly taken as denoted by the line 'y y in fig. 2.

Figure 5, an end view of the skeleton piston, with its segment-al packings, and showing the openings forl `establishing a balance in case of breakage.

Figure 6, alongitudnal view of the same, through the line w w in iig. 5.

Figure 7, a longitudinal view of one ofthe exhaustvalves, detached, and

Figure 8, a transverse section thereof, through the line z z in iig. 7;

Figure 9 is a view, in perspective, of one of the packing-caps to the ends of the radial slides carried by the piston.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My improvement relates to engines constructed to operate substantially as described in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 71,208, issued to me, November-.19, 1867; and

rlhe invention consists in `certain peculiarities of construction,including the application of a main controlling-valve, having a fourfold function to work the engine under different conditions or uses of the steam,

i whereby the eiciency Vand utility' of the engine are greatly improved.

Referring to the accompanying drawingy A represents the outer cylinder or case of the engine, and B B, its end lids or covers, formed with central cylindrical projections C C', having `tubular passages through them and the cylinder-covers, in directions which are eccentric to but parallel with the axis of the cylinder A, for the reception of the stuffing-boxes D D', and inside bearings E E', of a longitudinally-divided bush-fgrm, within and through which the engine-shaft F works.

The lower half of each of these bearings E E is made adjustable, to meet near and provide for set of the main shaft F, by means of a sliding wedge or inclined packing-piece G, having a pin, a, projecting from it to the outside of the cylinder-cover, for the purpose of raising or lowering said half bearing by turning a nut, b, arranged to iit the pin c outside the cylinder-cover. The piston or revolving cylinder H, which carries the radial slides, is of skeleton-forni or build,and may either be made entire, or be divided transversely of its length and bolted together, as represented in gs. 4 and 6, said piston H comprising a hub, c, by which it is secured to the shaft F, centrally-dividing disk d, and an inner ring, e c1, the latter, in connectionwith the cylindrical projections C C', forming interior steamspaces Il that oonstitntethc inner cylinder ofthe engine, while the space between the outer periphery of the piston and exterior case A, forms the outer cylinder thereof.

The ends of the cylindrical projections C C' are furnished with spring-borne packing-ringsff, which bear v or press against plates .l J', arranged to lie against and cover either side or face of the dividing-disk d, between the hub c and inner ring e c of the piston, and bolted to said disk so as to rotate with the piston. p

By means of the packing-ringsff, leakage is generally prevented from or through the piston in an intei-nal or central direction.

K K1 K2 are the radial slides, of which there may be any suitable number, arranged on opposite sides of the dividing-disk d. These slides are disposed at an equal distance apart, and are provided with suitable edge-packings, made np in part of interposedr wedges, acted upon by springs at their backs. These packings, however, are of peculiar construction at the end-portions of the slides, the same being composed of packing-caps L L, with interposed wedges.

These caps L L are of such a-"width, and made to embrace the angular' extremities or ends of the slides,

so that when working in concert with the interposed spring-borne wedges f/ g g, that serve to control their radial-and end actions, they iill the gaps or spaces lying between the ends of inner and outer segmental packings h h, acted upon by springs at their hacks, and arranged within grooves made in the faces or ends of the revolving piston, to pack the latter in circular directions as regards its travel over or against the inner faces of the cylinder-covers.

To provide against leakage past the segmental packings 7i h1 in the ends of thepiston, and to prevent the piston being forced endwise by an excess of `leak on one side or end, over or as compared with the other, the disk-portion rl of the piston is made with any suitable number of balance-openings i, which permit of the leaking steam passing through the disk, so as to press equally on opposite sides of the latter and o n both cylinder-covers, and thereby to establish an equilibrium.. i

le It are oil-injectors or lubricating-passages to the M is a slide-valveLdesigned to be operated by hand, lever, or otherwise, through its stem or rod w.

Said valve is constructed'at its one end with a D- shaped bonnet, o, which covers, and, in the adjustment of the valve, plays over ports q gf in the valveseat, while the other end of said valve consists ot' a block or plate, s, having a passage, s', through it, and controlling-ports u u.

Each ot' these ports, q q and u Ia', may be in dupli- Y cate, as represented in tiff. l. The one set, q, of them communicates with a passage, a2, running crosswise of the outer cylinder A, and connecting, by openings b2, with the interior of said cylinder, some little on one side of where the outer cylindrical portion of the piston H comes in cont-act with the cylinder A.'

The ports q communicate with a passage, 02also .ruiming crosswise of the outer cylinder, and connecting with ways d2 in the cylinder-ends or covers B B', said ways d? opening, by side-passages e2, into the double inner cylinder I l.

Similarly arranged 011 the opposite side of where the outer cylindrical portion of the piston H comes in contact with the cylinder A, are like or corresponding ways or passages a3 e, openings b, ways d, and lateral openings el, the passages a. c3 being in communication with the ports 'u u', openings b3 with the interior of the cylinder A, and lateral openings c3 with the double inner cylinder I l.

By sliding the valve M from the position it is represented in the drawing, so as to put the opening s in or through it,l out of communication with the port u', and so that the several pol'ts, q q and u u', are closed by the 'alve, then the exigirle is stopped, as steam cannot pass from the valve-chest to either the inner or outer cylinders. On adjusting, however, said valve to the position shown in the drawing, then live steam, at a high pressure, passes from the valve-chest N, through the opening s and port u', into the passage ci", and from thence downthe ways d, and through vthe lateral openings e, into the inner double cylinder I I', to act upon the piston H at a short leverage, through its radial slides K K1 K2, to rotate said piston and main or driving-shaft F, with which it is connected, in direction of the arrow, 8.

After the live or high-pressure steam has performed its duty in said inner double cylinder I I, it passes, by the travel of the piston H, out through the lateral openings c", up the ways d, along the passages c2, through the ports q', into the bonnet o oi' the valve, and from thence through the port-s q, passa-ges a2, and openings b2, to be worked expansively within the outer cylinder A, at a longer. piston-leverage on thc radial slides K Kl K2, such expanded steam, after it has performed its duty in the outer cylinder, finally escaping, by a passage or passages, f2, ont through an exhaustvalve, N into a chamber or channel, g2, arranged on the under side ot' the cylinder A, and from whence it may pass oli', by an outlet, h2, to the air or to a condenser.

From this description, too, it will be. seen that the steam, after it has pertbrmedits .duty in the inner double cylinder under full pressure, passes under cover of the valve M, which is kept warm by high-pressure steam on its back, to work expansively in the outer cylinder, by which arrangement the temperature and pressure ofthe steam, in its way from one cylinder to the other, is better preserved than ifthe same were conducted. by-outside passages, and lnot under cover vof the valve.

In further description of the` mainvalve M and eX- hanst-valves N1N2, which latter, though independent of the main valve, are used in connection therewith, it will be observed that the exhaust-valves N1 NZ are arranged on opposite sides of the cylinder A.

Said valves are shown as formed with right-angled passa-ges 'i2 through them, so that on suitably turning said valves, they may be made either to close the cylinder-outlets f2 f, and so cut oft communication between the cylinder A and channel g2; or to open commnnication between the same, and said valves, which are designed to be set by hand according'to the direction in which it is required to run the engine, should be so linked or geared together, as that when the one valve is open the othcr'is closed. In tig. 2 there is represented a suitable valve-motion for the purpose. Supposing the engine-piston to be travelling as indicated by arrow in fief. 3, then lit is necessary that the valve N1 should be opened and valve N2 closed.

By shifting the valv'e M, so as to close the ports a and open the ports q to the steam in the valve-chest, then the engine will work wholly under full or high pressure, in the same direction as before, the steam in such case only being admitted to the outer cylinder A, and, after having performed its duty, escaping by the outlet f2, through the valve N1, to the exhaust. Or again, by shifting thevvalve M in the reverse direction, so as to make the port u the inlet in communiv cation with the valve-chest, also closing the valve N" and opening the valve N2, then the engine will work in a reverse direction under i'nll or hign-pressuresteam,

which is confined to the cylinder A, the same, after having completed its duty therein on theradial slides of the piston, escaping by the opening f, and through the valve N2, to the exhaust. Thus the main valve M, or same in vconnection with the exhaust-valves N1 N2, may be said to have a fourfold function, namely, that of starting and stopping the engine, of causing the engine to be worked wholly under full or high pressure, of working it under full pressure as regards the one cylinder, and expansively as regards theol-her, and of reversing the direction in travel of the engine. This versatility in act-ion of the engine will prove very advantageous in numerous instances.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

l. rlhe combination of a main or controlling-valve, M, constructed to operate substantially as described, with the inner and outer cylinders of the engine and ports u u and q q, together with their respective passages, connecting the valve-,chest or space with said cylinders, essentially as specified.

2. The combination of a duplicate exhaust-valve or valves, N N1, with the main or controlling-valve M, and the inner and ont'er cylinders of the engine, substantially as shown and described.

3. The skeleton piston H, provided with balanceopenings and carrying radial slides or pistons proper, in combination with the inner and outer cylinders of the engine, substantially as specified.

FRED. ORTLIEB.

Witnesses FRED. HAYNES, HENRY PALMER. 

